During 2025,672 in a report concerning the first half of 2025, RSA reported that “at the end of June 2025, 19,065 people resided in camps (“facilities”) managed by the Reception and Identification Service (RIS) of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum throughout Greece. This includes five Closed Controlled Access Centres (CCAC) on the islands, three Reception and Identification Centres (RIC) and 22 Controlled Temporary Reception Centres for asylum seekers (CTRC) on the mainland. At the end of 2024, the RIS reception system counted 27,100 residents. (…) Figures made available in Parliament confirm persisting gaps in the staffing of medical and psychosocial services in camps, within the framework of the “Hippocrates” programme, despite a slight increase from the end of last year. A total of 60 doctors were deployed throughout the RIS camps, compared to 54 at the end of 2024. This corresponds to one doctor per 317 residents, in view of the total population of 19,065 residents. Camps such as Filippiada, Veria, Kyllini and Pyrgos had no doctor at all”. Additionaly, RSA reported that the number of interpreters deployed in RIS camps was 128 as of 30 June 2025. Since then, however, interpretation services in camps have been halted indefinitely yet again. The absence of interpretation inevitably means a lack of access to necessary services such as health care673. Based on GCR’s and partners’ observations, asylum claims are frequently examined before vulnerability assessments are carried out, and, in any case, the outcome of the latter are often not communicated to the Asylum Service before it issues its decision on the application. The lifting of the geographical restriction (see also Reception Conditions – Freedom of Movement). Under the Asylum Code (and previously the IPA), the recognition of vulnerability of asylum applicants has no bearing on the asylum procedure under which their application is examined. Therefore, vulnerable groups, even when identified as such, are no longer referred to the Regular procedure, unless it is proven that no appropriate health care regarding their individual medical problem is available on the island where they reside (see below). In such cases, the geographical restriction imposed upon arrival is lifted and the applicant is transferred or allowed to travel to the mainland. Therefore, the exemption of vulnerable individuals from the Fast-Track Border procedure has become much more difficult. In particular, the movement of asylum-applicants who entered Greece through the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, Leros, and Rhodes during 2023 is limited to within their respective island (‘geographical restriction’), as per Ministerial Decision 1140/2.12.2019 (GG B’ 4736/20.12.2019) in force since 1 January 2020.674 Greek law transposes Article 7 RCD, allowing Member States to impose a restriction of movement to asylum-applicants within a specific area, provided that it does not affect their unalienable sphere of private life and that it allows sufficient scope for guaranteeing access to all the benefits granted under the Directive. Until 31 December 2019, the geographical restriction could be lifted, inter alia, in respect of vulnerable persons. Following amendments to the law, since 1 January 2020, the geographical restriction may inter alia675 be lifted by a decision of the Manager of the RIC for vulnerable 672 673 674 675 RSA, Reception & refugee camps in Greece in the first half of 2025, available at: https://tinyurl.com/4932a2uz RSA, Reception & refugee camps in Greece in the first half of 2025, available at: https://tinyurl.com/4932a2uz This act is based on Article 45 L. 4636/2019. It is worth noting that the act mentions that the geographical restriction is necessary for the implementation of the EU-Türkiye statement. Except for the case of vulnerable persons and persons in need of special reception conditions, the geographical restriction may be lifted in the case of: a. unaccompanied minors; b. persons falling under the family reunification provisions of Articles 8-11 of Dublin Regulation, only after the person is accepted by the concerned member state; and c. persons whose applications for international protection are reasonably considered to be founded. 151